The open source Firebase alternative with real-time PostgreSQL
The flexible backend for all your projects 🐰 Turn your DB into a headless CMS, admin panels, or apps with a custom UI, instant APIs, auth & more.
Recommended VPS & Hardware Sizing
Estimated Hosting: $4 - $6/mo (e.g. Hetzner CX22 or DigitalOcean)Directus vs Firebase Comparison Matrix
| Evaluation Criteria | Directus (Open Source) | Firebase (Proprietary) |
|---|---|---|
| Database Ownership | 100% Native standard PostgreSQL/MySQL tables | Proprietary NoSQL format (Firestore) |
Financial Impact: Migrating from Firebase to Self-Hosted Directus
* Excludes enterprise SSO add-ons & usage overages
* Commodity Hetzner / DigitalOcean compute instance
Compare Directus Head-to-Head
Comprehensive benchmark comparing Directus against proprietary Firebase licensing and features.
Enterprise Multi-Service PostgreSQL vs Single-Binary Go/SQLite
Open-Source Relational Postgres vs Google Proprietary NoSQL
Self-Hosted Zero-Config SQLite vs Google Pay-Per-Read NoSQL
Connect to Any Existing MySQL/PG vs Dedicated PostgreSQL Airtable Clone
Free Self-Hosted Internal GUI Builder vs $50/User/Month Retool Paywall
Core Capabilities & Features
Self-Host Directus with Docker Compose
Tweak configuration ports, secrets, and volumes live. Download or copy your ready-to-run container file:
1-Click Docker Compose Generator
Generate production-ready container definitions with customizable ports and volumes.
The modern open data platform that instantly turns any SQL database into REST and GraphQL APIs
version: '3'
services:
directus:
image: directus/directus:latest
ports:
- "${SERVER_PORT:-8055}:8055"
environment:
KEY: ${SECRET_KEY:-random_key}
SECRET: ${SECRET_HASH:-random_secret}
ADMIN_EMAIL: ${ADMIN_EMAIL:[email protected]}
ADMIN_PASSWORD: ${ADMIN_PASSWORD:-admin123}
DB_CLIENT: 'pg'
DB_HOST: 'database'
DB_PORT: '5432'
DB_DATABASE: 'directus'
DB_USER: 'directus'
DB_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASS:-directus_pwd}
depends_on:
- database
database:
image: postgres:15-alpine
environment:
POSTGRES_USER: 'directus'
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASS:-directus_pwd}
POSTGRES_DB: 'directus'
volumes:
- data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
volumes:
data:Frequently Asked Questions: Self-Hosting Directus
How do I self-host Directus using Docker Compose?
You can deploy Directus (directus/directus) on any Linux server by copying the docker-compose.yml template on this page, configuring your desired host port and persistent volume directory, and running 'docker compose up -d'.
How does Directus compare to Firebase?
Directus is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to Firebase built with TypeScript, Node.js, Vue.js. Unlike Firebase ($25 - $200+ / project / month), Directus has zero per-user licensing fees and keeps 100% of your data on your own infrastructure.
What are the minimum VPS RAM and CPU requirements for Directus?
For production self-hosting (Easy difficulty tier), we recommend at least 2 GB RAM (minimum 1 GB), 1 vCPU, and 10 GB SSD storage, which typically costs $4 - $6/mo (e.g. Hetzner CX22 or DigitalOcean).
Is Directus free for commercial business use under the BSL-1.1 license?
Yes. Distributed under the BSL-1.1 license, Directus can be self-hosted internally by businesses and engineering teams of any size without per-seat royalties.
Embed Official Directus Badge in GitHub README
Served locally from OSSMatrix with Cloudflare global edge caching. Real-time verified alternative status, zero third-party dependencies, sub-5ms load time.
[](https://ossmatrix.com/project/directus)<a href="https://ossmatrix.com/project/directus" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://ossmatrix.com/api/badge/directus" alt="Directus on OSSMatrix" /></a>Compare Directus with Other Self-Hosted Alternatives
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